Roundabout to Present Reading of Wildhorn & Black's BONNIE & CLYDE with Director Calhoun & Music Director McDaniel

BroadwayWorld.com has learned that The Roundabout Theatre Company will be presenting a reading of the new Broadway-bound musical BONNIE & CLYDE on February 9, 2009. The show features a book by Ivan Menchell, music by Frank Wildhorn, lyrics by Don Black, direction by Jeff Calhoun and music direction by John McDaniel.

The show covers the tale of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, who met when they were nineteen. What started out as an adolescent crush lead to the most dangerous love story this country has ever known.

What promises to be a seductive and cinematic new musical will examine how a troubled Texas teen and a love-sick waitress became America's most infamous couple. At this time there is no word on casting for the invite-only reading, or on the schedule for the show, but insiders are buzzing about the show's future prospects, with it's non-traditional score, combining rockabilly, blues and gospell music. 

In 1999 Frank Wildhorn, notably became the first American composer in twenty-two years to have three shows running simultaneously on Broadway: Jekyll & Hyde, Scarlet Pimpernel, and The Civil War, which altogether garnered eight Tony nominations.

Mr. Wildhorn also wrote additional songs for Broadway's Victor/Victoria and was a producer and co-creator of Harlem Song at the legendary Apollo Theater. Most recently in the United States, Wildhorn's For the Glory: The Civil War Musical opened at the Majestic Theater in Gettysgurg, PA. Recently, Wildhorn has enjoyed International success with Never Say Goodbye (written with Shuichiro Koike) performed by Takarazuka Revue in Takarazuka, Japan; Rudolf - The Last Kiss (written with Jack Murphy & Nan Knighton) opening in Budapest, Hungary and in Vienna, Austria and multiple productions of Jekyll & Hyde: In Concert.

Don Black received two Tony awards for best book and lyrics of a musical for his work (with Christopher Hampton) on Sunset Boulevard. This marked his third collaboration with Andrew Lloyd Webber. They first joined forces to write the song cycle Tell Me On A Sunday which developed to form the basis of the stage show Song and Dance. They were reunited with Aspects of Love. He also wrote the lyrics for the Andrew Lloyd Webber produced Bombay Dreams..In a career that has won many glittering prizes (an Oscar for his song Born Free, five Academy Award nominations, two Tony Awards plus three Tony Nominations, five Ivor Novello awards, a Golden Globe and many platinum, gold and silver discs) he has worked with some of the world's leading composers: Jule Styne, Henry Mancini, Quincy Jones, John Barry, Elmer Bernstein, Charles Aznavour, Michel Legrand etc. Don has written a quintet of James Bond theme songs - Thunderball, Diamonds Are Forever, The Man With The Golden Gun, Surrender form Tomorrow Never Dies and The World Is Not Enough. Among his many popoular songs are Michael Jackson's Ben and Lulu's To Sir With Love, both U.S. number one hits. Last year he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Jeff Calhoun directed and choreographed the award-winning Deaf West production of Big River (Tony and Drama Desk nominations, Best Revival; Drama Desk nomination for Best Director of a Musical; Ovation and L.A. Drama Critics Circle awards for Direction and Choreography). He was a producer as well as director/choreographer for the Broadway production of Brooklyn the Musical. He directed and choreographed the 1994 Broadway revival of Grease! (Tony nomination, Best Choreography) and co-choreographed the Broadway revival of Annie Get Your Gun (Tony Award, Best Revival). His Broadway directing debut was Tommy Tune Tonight, and his collaboration with Mr. Tune led to the 1991 Tony for Best Choreography for the Will Rogers Follies. He provided the musical staging for the hit Broadway musical Grey Gardens and developed the first original ASL musical, Sleeping Beauty Wakes, at the Kirk Douglas Theater. He is the director of both the national and international productions of Disney's High School Musical: On Tour. Jeff is currently directing High School Musical 2 for Theater of the Stars at The Fox Theatre in November and the Deaf West production of Pippin for Center Theatre Group at the Mark Taper Forum in January 2009. Jeff is an Associate Artist at Ford's Theatre.

John McDaniel's credits include "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" (two Emmy Awards, Music Producer; five Emmy nominations, Music Direction/Composition); Comedy Central's "Friar's Roasts" ‘99, ‘00, ‘01, ‘02 (Arranger/Conductor); "A Rosie Christmas" (Arranger/Conductor); Tony Awards ‘97, ‘98, ‘00 (Arranger). Broadway: Grease! (Music Director/Arranger); Chicago (Conductor); Patti LuPone on Broadway (Arranger); Annie Get Your Gun (Music Supervisor/Arranger); Taboo (Music Supervisor/Arranger). Recordings: Patti LuPone Live! (Conductor/Arranger); Annie Get Your Gun cast recording (Producer/Grammy Award); three solo CDs: John McDaniel at the Piano: Broadway, Christmas and Compositions; John McDaniel Live at Joe's Pub; The Maury Yeston Songbook (Producer); Taboo cast recording (Producer/Arranger). Guest pops conductor throughout the country, including San Francisco and St. Louis symphonies. BFA in drama from Carnegie Mellon.

For more information, visit www.JohnMcDaniel.com.

Ivan Menchell is currently serving as Writer and co-Producer of the upcoming Disney Channel series JONAS, starring the Jonas Brothers. He is the recipient of a Fulbright fellowship for his playwriting and a graduate of the Yale School of Drama.

Menchell's theatre credits include The Cemetery Club (Broadway), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (additional material, Broadway), The Prince & The Pauper (US tour), The Surprise Party (UK Tour), Smiling Through (Off-Broadway), and We'll Meet Again (Off-Broadway).